Corsair Voyager GT 2GB USB Flash Drive

“The floppy drive is dead, long live USB flash drives!” This is the sentiment that has been echoed by nearly every person who has had the opportunity to use a USB flash drive and has experienced the convenience, performance and portability of USB flash drives. With large storage capacities, USB 2.0 support and their small sizes, USB drives have all but replaced the floppy drive as the standard for portable storage.

But not all USB drives are created equal and only some deliver on all the promises of speedy transfer times, ease of use and rugged build quality. Today I have the Corsair Voyager GT 2GB to evaluate, and we will see if it lives up to the expectation as the new standard for a portable data storage device.

Design

The Voyager GT is the successor to the Voyager USB drive, and both are similarly constructed with a rubberized coating on the outside. The rubber casing provides protection from damage during normal (and not-so-normal) use – should you happen to drop it, leave it in your pants during a laundry cycle or run it up against a sharp object.

The Voyager GT sports a unique design for USB flash drives, with two oval shaped grips on each side of the body. The cap is also made of rubber and forms a water-tight seal when it is attached. The “Flash Voyager GT” branding is adorned on the side of the drive, and the bottom end has a loop found on nearly all USB drives for attaching it to a keyring or a lanyard. The bottom end also has a LED activity light.

The oval grips and rubber casing do make it easier to handle the drive, but they add a bit of bulk to the drive. The width of the drive is slightly larger than a standard style pen drive. It does not have the “slim and sleek” look of other drives on the market.

Included accessories with the Voyager GT are a USB extension cable and a lanyard with the “Corsair” logo on it. It does come with pre-loaded with TrueCrypt security software, which allows you to encrypt the drives contents. However, according tot he Corsair website, smaller capacity models (the 512MB and 1GB) do not come pre-loaded with the software. It is available for free to download from the Corsair website.

Features

• Plug & Play functionality in Windows® Vista, XP, 2000, ME, Linux 2.4 and later, Mac OS 9, X and later
• Includes the True Crypt security application (Windows Vista/XP/2000 compatible only) allowing for a virtual encrypted drive using AES-256 encryption (not preloaded on 512MB, 1GB, and 2GB models)
• Lanyard, USB cable (not available on 512MB and 1GB models)
• ReadyBoost™ compatible
• Limited 10-year warranty